Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Train-sporting

Where do you sit on the train? Do those up stairs seem too daunting? So you choose to go down into the deep recesses of the train. Perhaps you are the over eager, getting those stairs over and done with by mounting them from the off. Then there are the undecided, refusing to make that hard decision, choosing instead to hover in the alcove near the door. Last and least are the non-committed, the voyagers. Declining to sit, incessantly pacing the entire train, going through both up and down sections and staring creepily at each person they pass on their travels. Occasionally you will come across the semi-voyager who confines himself to one carriage only, don't think they're special, they're just too lazy to take on the entire train.
If you watch these people long enough you will notice trends developing (full trains don't count, because then you will take what you can get, even the sweat-soaked set beside the vomit covered drunk called Ron.) the drunkards will almost always take the bottom of the carriage unless they feel they are going to be sick, then they will opt for the top section in the hope of coating the entire carriage in the remains of alcohol and the half digested kebab from Eddy Ave, aptly known as vomit. Joining them you will find the shy, the groups, the thieves, the easily aroused and the tired. The respectable people can be found in the upper section of the carriage. Children are also there, along with transit police and older men. Mothers, if not with their children will always be found in the alcove, joining them you will find little old ladies, the hurried masses eagerly awaiting the end of the journey, the disabled and anyone carrying something large and awkward. Forcing anyone wishing to leave the train to compulsorily push their way past. Readers are always scattered everywhere on the train usually being able to fit into another category. The voyagers are just plain creepy, I've never met one I liked and the less said about them the better. Now depending on where you sit, you can spend your whole train life and not be exposed to every type of train-goer. I choose to sit in the lower section of the train and on the odd occasion I hover in the alcove. The undecided alcovers may witness every type of traveler, but without seeing them in their natural habitat you can't fully understand them. Being a lower dweller myself, any description of the upper section is understandably vague. So as you read this, think about where you sit and while you're there think about which title describes you (YES, do not think about which title describes me) and ask yourself are you sitting in the right section?

1 comment:

eliza said...

I don't travel by train but I do go by bus.Where I sit depends on who I'm travelling with.If I've got the baby in the buggy,then I sit at the front.With my kids,then we sit on the long seat at the back.By myself,somewhere in the middle. Middle of the road thats me.

Eliza xxx